


Autopilot

by gertiemcfuzz



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Accidental Relationship, F/F, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-15
Updated: 2016-03-05
Packaged: 2018-05-06 20:37:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5430026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gertiemcfuzz/pseuds/gertiemcfuzz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Livewire, Cat becomes serious about wanting to make some changes. The first of which is keeping true to her word about getting to know Kara better. Flash forward six months, and their relationship has taken an unexpected turn without either of them realizing it along the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all, it's been a while since I've written anything so hopefully this isn't too rusty. Also, just a heads up, this was written before tonight's episode aired so everything is canon up until that point.

Kara Danvers sat at her desk, looking into the office of her currently absent boss, while fidgeting slightly with her fingers. It was a habit that Kara, at Cat Grant’s insistence, had been trying to break – “Kara, if you want to be taken seriously, you need to exude confidence; something that cannot be achieved if you cannot refrain from wringing your hands like the common kindergartener.” That had been nearly five months ago, and for the most part Kara had been successful in channeling her nervous energy in more productive manners, like saving speed away trains, having epic showdowns with exiled family members, and demolishing the occasional tub of Ben and Jerry’s, and Cat was right, she did feel more confident.

Today, however, she was not feeling quite at the top of her game, something that could once again be traced back to her boss who at the moment was out of the office, with her son, giving Kara the perfect opportunity to contemplate her current conundrum. She broke her gaze from the empty chair behind Cat’s desk and down to her own lap, where her hands, after twenty minutes of stressful twiddling had begun to look a little more pink than usual. She heaved a sigh, and moved to sit on them instead. 

She was glad to be the only person left at CatCo headquarters. It wasn’t unusual for Kara to still be at work when it began to empty at the end of the day. Cat Grant insisted that one of the leading principals to being a great boss was to be the last to leave the office, and being her assistant meant that Kara, was typically only dismissed minutes before Miss Grant herself prepared to leave for the day, not that she minded, it usually just served to make her feel more normal. And more recently, she’d taken to enjoying the extra time spent with her boss.

Kara looked down once more to check her watch, she had just shy of half an hour before she needed to leave the solace of the quiet office building. She reached up with her right hand, leaving her left under her still, and jostled the mouse on her desk, bringing her computer back to life. She quickly pulled up her to-do list, but nothing had changed since she had checked it fifteen minutes prior. Her layouts were done, she had already spoken with the head of printing about the changes Miss Grant wanted made, all of Miss Grant’s meetings for the next two weeks were appropriately scheduled, and Kara had even taken the liberty to ensure that the next week specifically ran more smoothly than normal, given that Katherine Grant would be in National City for her own conference, which would no doubt send Cat into a tailspin of anxiety. 

With less than a minute passing since turning her computer on, Kara willed Cat to upload a new task to their shared document, if only to keep her occupied for the next twenty minutes. She knew it was hopeless, Cat Grant may be a workaholic, but she was a dedicated mother, and she would not shirk her son of her time any more than she would invite Lois Lane to brunch just to catch up. 

It was a very special day for Carter, he was set to win an award at school for a recent research project, which had been inspired by the small adventure he had had while under Kara’s care. Cat had taken the entire day off with the promise of doing whatever Carter wanted, all leading up to the ceremony at his school that evening, which Kara herself would be attending with them. Carter had grown very fond of Kara and made her promise not to miss it. 

With twenty minutes still left before she needed to leave to meet them, Kara resisted the urge to call Alex for her input about her current situation. She knew it wouldn’t help though, as much as she loved her sister, there were some things she was just no good with, and helping Kara to make sense of the complexities of her interpersonal relationships was one of those things. Not to say that she couldn’t occasionally be a good sounding board, she just sucked at giving advice, often letting her protectiveness of her baby sister cloud her assessment. And at the moment Kara didn’t need a sounding board, she felt pretty clear about the situation, she just didn’t know what to do about it. 

With one more look at the document on her computer, which still showed no new tasks to be handled, Kara decided to grab her things and leave the office early. She’d use the extra time to stop into the café down the street and grab Cat a latte, a small comfort she knew her boss would appreciate despite it nearing six o’clock.

As she stepped up to the counter she quickly rattled off Cat’s order. The barista smiled at her, “Would you like to add two extra shots of espresso? You look like you could use a pick me up.”

“Long day.” She smiled back. “And no thanks, to the expresso, it’s not for me.” She left it at that, because the last time she checked it wasn’t exactly socially acceptable to say “Actually it’s for my boss, who I’ve just realized I might be dating, and who I’m even more sure knows that I’m Supergirl.”


	2. Six Months Earlier

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now for some actual interaction.

Six Months Earlier

“Kiera!” Cat Grant called from her office. 

Kara, who’d been checking in with Winn to ensure the computer updates that were set to run wouldn’t begin until after CatCo. shut down for the day, hurried to see what her boss needed. 

“Yes, Miss Grant?” She inquired upon entering. She couldn’t help but notice how the afternoon sun streaming in made it appear as though her boss was glowing. She supposes it was one of the reasons Miss Grant choose a building with so much natural light. 

“I’ve been thinking about what I said.” Cat replied without looking up from her computer.

“What you said, Miss Grant?” Kara asked, pulling slightly at her fingers.

Cat looked up then, and gave nodded toward Kara’s hands. “I thought we’d discussed that.”

Kara bowed her head a bit and quickly moved to stuff her hands into the pockets of her skirt, before returning her attention to her boss. 

“And yes, what I said,” she paused “about it being a good idea to get to know you better.”

“Oh?” Kara couldn’t hide her surprise. After Leslie had become Livewire, Miss Grant had briefly expressed a desire to learn more about her assistant but had yet to do so. Kara had chalked it up to a comment made in the heat of the moment while Cat was feeling guilty about her role in Leslie's downfall. She didn’t blame her, she’d once promised Alex that she’d start getting up and running with her at five in the morning after breaking her treadmill, but she’d yet to lace up her running shoes before seven. 

“I thought we'd start with this” Cat said as she held out a sheet of paper toward Kara who stepped forward to take it. As she looked down she saw that it was an emergency contact form.  
“Oh, I actually already have one on file.” Kara told her boss, drawing her words out carefully, not wanting to appear ungrateful at her boss’s effort, yet she remembered filling out a similar sheet upon being hired with CatCo. 

“I am aware if that,” Miss Grant sighed in exasperation, “however, I would like to have a copy of my own. After last week’s earthquake and subsequent chaos, I would like to take extra steps toward safety. All emergency forms are stored on CatCo's servers, and as we learned last week, we cannot always rely on such technology during times of crisis.” Cat stopped and let out a breath, seeming to gear up for what she wanted to say next. 

Kara, sensing this was not exactly light conversation, silently moved to take a seat in front of her boss's desk. 

“I made a number of mistakes in how I handled Leslie-” she began.

“Miss Grant, that's not your fau-” Kara cut her off to reassure her.

“No, I may not be entirely to blame, but I can't deny the role I played in Leslie turning out the way she did. I will not repeat those mistakes.” Cat paused once more contemplating what she wanted to say next. She moved to sit back further in her chair, and dropped her hands from her desk into her lap. “I meant it when I told my mother that you are exceptional, and you deserve for me to be exceptional as well.” 

Kara blushed lightly at Miss Grant's words and moved to reassure her again, but Cat held up her hand to stop her. “When I hired Leslie, I saw a lot of who I was at that age in her. She was smart, ambitious, and she went after what she wanted consequences be damned. I thought that by giving her my support, I could help her become great, she could be the next me.” Cat paused and met Kara’s eyes. “When I hired you, it wasn’t because you reminded me of myself.” 

Kara’s brow furrowed slightly, unsure whether the pang of hurt in her chest was justified. 

“You are something else entirely, and you are just as good, just as driven, and intelligent, and far more conscientious.” Cat briefly turned her head to look out her wall of glass, at the city just beyond her balcony. Kara took the opportunity to gaze at her boss in a bit of awe. She knew Miss Grant was capable of being what one might call nice, occasionally, but this was a new side to her boss, more open, softer, that Kara felt grateful to be experiencing. 

Her opportunity to stare ended as quickly as it started when Cat turned back to her. “If I’m right about you, you will accomplish more than Leslie could ever have dreamed of, because you are your own person, and not just a poor recreation of somebody else. Which is why I will do better to support and guide you.” She gave a small smile in a way that indicated that she had said her piece. 

Kara wasn’t exactly sure how to respond to such an open admission and promise from Cat. She was used to working herself silly just for an acknowledgement of her adequacy at her job. Though more recently, her boss did seem to be making more of an effort, this was still very unexpected. “I-uh…” Kara stuttered to begin, reaching up to adjust her glasses. “Thank you, Miss Grant, that means a lot, I appreciate you taking the time to say all of that.”

Cat gave a swift nod, apparently pleased with her response. The moment didn’t last much longer before Cat pursed her lips, and placed her hands back in front of her on her desk, as though to once again create a barrier between Kara and herself. “Right, so then, please take that form with you and get it filled out and returned to me before end of business today.” She picked up her glasses from where they lay resting on her desk, put them on and turned back toward her computer before waving her hand in a way that clearly let Kara know she was being dismissed. 

Kara stood, and held back a small sigh. One step forward, and yet she still felt as though they were at square one. Still, as she sat down at her desk, she couldn’t help the small smile that came to her face as she thought over Cat’s words once more. As she began to fill out the form Cat had created for her, she hoped her boss was serious about what she’d said. She wasn’t naïve enough to think that she and Miss Grant would suddenly become bffs, but she still thought it’d be nice to occasionally have somebody to talk to that wasn’t her very protective big sister, her cousin’s very protective best friend, or Winn. 

The warmth in her chest was still there was she dropped the form back in Miss Grant’s office later that afternoon, with only the slightest acknowledgement she had even entered the space. That same warmth only spread as she saw Cat pick the papers up and give them her full attention, only to slip them into the top drawer of her desk, when she thought nobody was looking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys rock! I'm was glad to hear you enjoyed the first chapter, and I hope this one wasn't half bad either.


	3. Five Months and 3 Weeks Earlier

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for the support! Sorry it's been a few days, I'm currently substitute teaching, and I've been doing a good bulk of this writing during recess breaks but I was in a classroom full of devil children at the end of the week who made it near impossible to think let alone get anything done. But alas, I am on winter break now, so enjoy :)

“Who’s Alex?” Cat suddenly asked. She and Kara were in her office weeding through sample articles from new applicants. CatCo. was looking to find a few freelancers for the holiday season which was quickly approaching.

“Hm?” Kara had only half heard her boss, having been engrossed in a sample article detailing the psychological and physical benefits of extra orgasms during the holiday season.

“Alex Danvers.” Cat repeated. “I may not know everything about you, but I’m almost positive that you’re not married, which means Alex must be…” She trailed off waiting for Kara to fill in the rest of her sentence. Truth be told, she knew exactly who Alex was, she remembered Kara mentioning her on the same night she learned about Kara’s parents, it just seemed easier to pretend she didn’t, part of her not wanting to upset Kara by reminding her of that conversation, and part of her not wanting to let on that she actually cared to store away such information about her assistant.

Kara's attention snapped back to her boss. Her mouth was one step ahead of her brain as she answered, “Married? Right…no, I uh, nope not married.” As her own voice hit her ears, Kara’s nose scrunched and she gave her head a small shake, after a breath she tried again, slower and softer this time, “My sister, Alex is my sister.”

“Well, I’m sure James Olsen and that odd computer boy – Whitt- are glad to know that the competition for your affections is still in-house.” Cat replied. 

“Whitt? You mean Winn, and James? No, there is no competition,” she insisted, her eyebrows slightly raised and eyes a little wide, slightly taken aback at the insinuation.

“Mmhmm.” Cat just hummed, with a small smirk, eyes moving back down to the papers in her hand. “Give her an inch” she thought, knowing her silence would push Kara to continue.

“Really!” Kara tried again with a little chuckle suddenly finding it funny that her boss seemed to be teasing her about her romantic life. “James is involved, engaged even! To Lucy Lane, although wait…I’m actually not really sure where that stands right now, they just got back together, but they had been engaged…” Kara got sidetracked for a minute, eyes going upward in thought, trying to remember if James had mentioned if the engagement was still on or not. 

Cat cleared her throat, amused at her assistant’s detour, at any other moment, she’d be annoyed at the additional amount of her own precious time being taken up, but she was trying to learn more about Kara, and these little personality quirks could prove just as informative as the conversation itself.

“Right, either way, James and I are friends. He’s actually friends with my c-” Kara caught herself, “friend, who introduced us when James moved back to National City.” Kara explained. 

“And if he wasn’t engaged? or whatever he is?” Cat asked, not quite sure herself why she was so curious for Kara’s response, although she always did like watching her squirm. 

Kara actually took a minute to think about it. What if James wasn’t with Lucy? Would she want something more? He was probably the best friend she had outside of Alex, he was sweet, and kind, and he made her feel safe. He’s the kind of man half the world dreamed about calling theirs, and he gave really great hugs. But as she thought about it, there was a pull in her stomach that gave her her answer. “No.” she said after a beat, firmly. “He’s wonderful, and Lucy is really very lucky to have him, but for me, he’s just not…” She trailed off, unsure how to explain the gut feeling she had.

“Right.” Cat filled in for her, she’d given up at pretending not to be engaged in this discussion, and had now set the article samples aside to focus on Kara. 

“Yes, exactly, he’s just not right.” Kara smiled, glad to be understood, when she wasn’t sure she, herself, completely understood. 

“So then, Walt.” Cat stated lightly, with a glint in her eye. She already knew the answer to this one. With James, it had been a toss-up, and she wouldn’t blame Kara if had confessed to wanting him, but with Winn, it was very clear that the infatuation was one sided. 

“No, there is nothing going on with between me and Winn,” She emphasized his name, knowing her boss was getting it wrong purposefully, “He’s a great friend but-”

“Puppies make a lot of messes.” Cat cut her off with a smirk. 

Kara gave her a look that clearly said she wasn’t amused. “He kind of saved CatCo. a few weeks ago.” She reminded her. 

“And I am grateful for that,” Cat responded, “I just hate how much I have to spend on piddle pads whenever he’s around you.” She teased some more. 

Kara sighed, she was still a little annoyed with Winn for how he’d reacted to catching her hugging James, as though she had somehow betrayed him or owed him something. 

Cat, sensing that perhaps this wasn’t the kind of light conversation she was hoping for, in her first attempt to stay true to her word to learn more about Kara opted for a different tactic. “Enough about these idiot boys, tell me about your sister, Alex.” 

Kara made a mental note that Cat made no attempt to pretend to get Alex’s name wrong. “Alex, is just,” an adoring smile lit up her face, “Well, she’s just the best. My favorite human person.” She stated very matter-of-factly. 

Cat couldn’t help but find Kara’s admiration for her sister endearing. “I’m going to assume, by the look on your face, that Alex is older than you.” 

“She is?” Kara asked more than answered, wanting to know what Cat meant. 

“Your hero worship is very clear. Older siblings are proud of their younger siblings, but typically only a younger sibling would show such reverence.” Cat replied with a smile at the small blush that crossed Kara’s face. 

Kara was always impressed by how observant and in-tune to others Cat seemed to be when she tried so hard to appear apathetic to most everybody aside from her son. 

“Alex is certainly something special,” Kara replied. “After I lost my family, everything felt so foreign, it was like waking up in a whole new world.” Kara tried her best to be as truthful as possible, without giving anything away. “One without my father’s silly jokes, or my mother’s unwavering support.”

Cat briefly wondered if she should have pursued the Winn conversation further so that Kara wouldn’t have been faced with the obvious pain of thinking about her past. Nonetheless, she stayed quiet, giving Kara the space to continue, ready to give her an out should she need it.

“Alex was like a counterweight, keeping everything in balance. I felt normal around her, like any other kid.” She paused for a short moment, looking up to meet Cat’s eyes, which had softened “Don’t get me wrong, my foster parents were amazing,” she continued, “but they were just trying so hard to make sure I was okay that I felt like I had to be so that they could be too.” Kara confessed. She wasn’t exactly sure why she had chosen to share that last part, it was a thought she’d have occasionally and almost immediately try to push away, one she had never voiced out loud. 

“I imagine that it must have been quite stifling for you to have to pretend to be something you weren’t for so long.” Cat replied, not truly understanding how spot-on her words were. 

Kara bowed her head for a moment and gave a tight nod, not yet trusting herself to speak. Cat’s words resonated with her more than she had probably intended. For so long, Kara had been forced to push her grieving aside, to hold back a big part of herself to keep everyone around her safe. It wasn’t until recently, when she embraced her powers, that she’d begun to slowly allow herself to feel the things she’d been pushing aside for so long; something not as easily done after so many years of compartmentalizing. 

“It’s a shame, really, that you and James won’t be pursuing a relationship. It sounds like Alex would be a much better sister-in-law than Lois Lame.” Cat said in an attempt to lighten the mood. 

Kara laughed, glad the heaviness that had recently settled around them was lifted. “I’m not sure about that. Once, while she was visiting for family week, she broke a frat boy’s hand after he got a little handsy with me. He was in a cast for months.” She remembered watching in horror as Alex had marched right past her, ripped the red solo cup from his hand, and twisted him around like a rag doll. “I don’t think Supergirl herself could stand in the way of her overprotectiveness.” She continued, smiling a little at her own inside joke. 

Before anything else could be said, Cat’s phone chimed, she picked it up surprised to see how late it’d gotten. “It looks as if the rest of these,” She motioned to the remaining sample articles, “will have to wait, I promised Carter that I’d be home before he went to bed tonight. You should go as well, get some sleep, it’ll help with those dark circles under your eyes.” She said dismissively, already turning back toward her desk to begin collecting her things.

“Of course Miss Grant.” Kara replied, with a very small eye roll, as she stood and collected her stack of articles. “Have a good night.” She said as she made her way out of the office. 

Once at her own desk, she began to gather her belongings. As she reached in her desk, something caught her eye. It was a copy she had made of the emergency contact form she had filled out for Miss Grant. She had decided to keep an extra in her own desk as well. 

A smile spread across her face as she read it:

Primary Contact: Alex Danvers Relationship: Sister

Kara knew that Cat had read the form at least twice before storing it away, which meant she knew exactly who Alex was to her before starting their conversation tonight. Kara looked back into her boss’s office, where Cat was just sliding on her jacket, it seemed as though Cat really was putting an effort into getting to know her like she had promised. With one last look, Kara slipped on her own coat before heading toward the elevator bank.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whatcha think? I was a bit worried that the pace felt a little fast...I've been thinking about getting a beta to ensure the characterization stays steady.


	4. Five Months Earlier: Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long! So this chapter has 2 parts, I was originally going to post them together but I thought you guys had waited long enough so here is part one. I will hopefully have part two up within the next day or two.

Cat Grant stood outside an unfamiliar apartment door, staring hard at the slightly crooked brass letters. There was no doubt that she was in the right place, although the nervousness that had settled low in her stomach said otherwise. She had arrived fifteen minutes earlier, ten of which had been spent in her town car enjoying a single finger of scotch, which was meant to curb the anxiety she’d been feeling for the past three days, unfortunately after a three-minute walk up, and an additional two minutes of staring at the door, she’d realized it hadn’t worked.

As she thought back to the exact moment which had landed her here, she cursed her growing reliance on Kara. If only she’d kept her mouth shut and scheduled her own damn meeting just this once, she’d be in the comfort of her own office right now, wrapped tightly in the secret microfleece blanket that she kept stored in the bottom drawer of her desk for when she was alone at the office, while she prepared to hear a new pitch from the Australian office.

Instead she had opened her stupid mouth.

_“Kiera” Cat called out from where she was seated behind her desk, her cell phone gripped tightly in her hand._

_Kara had entered the office almost immediately, “Yes, Miss Grant?” she asked, stopping a few paces in to take a better look at her boss who looked far more tense than she had seen her recently._

_“Well, don’t just stand there Kiera, I know that you’re more competent than that!” Cat snapped._

_The harshness of her tone sprung Kara forward. She was curious about what caused her boss’s poor mood. Cat was always a little sharp but recently she had been far more constructive in her approach, genuinely trying to mentor Kara in her own way._

_In fact, the past three weeks had passed rather pleasantly, they’d developed a routine where Kara would stay late twice a week, the same nights that Carter was with his father. The first hour or two was spent working, but usually by seven Cat would interrupt with a seemingly random question about Kara’s life. Within minutes all work for the night would be put aside until eight when Cat’s phone would chime, signaling her need to get home to meet Carter when his father dropped him back at her penthouse._

_“Are you alright?” Kara asked softly as she came to stand directly in front of her boss’s desk. She knew the inquiry could backfire but she wanted to help if she could._

_Cat rolled her eyes in annoyance, “I do not pay you to be my psychologist Kiera,” she said with a huff. “I need you to call Jackson Nguyen at the Melbourne office to set up a video conference on the 25 th.”_

_“The 25 th?” Kara asked, with a confused smile. “Oh! Okay, you’re messing with me right? Because of my reaction to you working on Thanksgiving?” She chuckled lightly at having figured it out. _

_Cat however was minutes away from snapping the cell phone, which was still tightly gripped in her hand, in half. “Kiera,” She drew out dangerously, “The minute Oprah croaks or walks away from Harpo studios in favor of living on some unknown private island with Gayle King, I will become the most successful media industrialist in the world. What part of that sounds like I have the time to play a silly little joke on you?” The longer she spoke, the calmer her voice became, something Kara knew was actually very dangerous._

_“I-uh-I’m sorry.” Kara started, hoping she could smooth this over without further enraging her boss. “It’s just-well, it’s Christmas!” She exclaimed._

_“Not. In. Melbourne.” Cat gritted out. This is why you always hire an assistant without aspirations. They’re not as efficient, but at least they don’t care._

_“But we’re not in Melbourne, and you can’t-” She let out a nervous breath, “You can’t work on Christmas.” She said firmly._

_“Well, apparently, I can’t have my son on Christmas either.” She said angrily._

_“Carter…” Kara signed out, finally starting to understand._

_“Yes Kiera, Carter. Who is stuck with his_ idiot _father in Colorado. Why that dumbass thought bringing our son skiing was a good idea.” She stopped, closing her eyes while she reached up to rub her temples. “They were supposed to fly back tomorrow morning, but a huge storm has made all travel impossible. They probably won’t be back until a few says after Christmas.” She looked back up at Kara, “Which means I have no reason not to use that time to work.”_

_“Come celebrate with us!” Kara blurted without thinking._

_Cat raised her eyebrow, slightly horrified at the words that had just come out of her assistant’s mouth. “Excuse me?”_

_Kara contained herself this time, thinking more carefully about what to say. “You should come celebrate with us.” She smiled gently, “You shouldn’t work on Christmas, and it’ll be fun!”_

_“I do not need your pity invite, and frankly it’s insulting.” Cat spit out._

_Kara sighed, “It’s not a pity invite,” she promised but Cat just rolled her eyes. “Really! I-Look, Eliza isn’t coming, since she was just here for Thanksgiving, so Alex and I decided not to do anything big. Winn and James and Lucy are going to come, I’m making dinner and we’ll play some games. It’ll be fun!” She promised again, “and, I would really love it if you came.”_

_Cat could tell that her assistant was being genuine. Why, she wasn’t sure. And if she was being honest, it didn’t sound like the worst thing in the world. If she did come into the office, she would spend most of her day worrying about Carter and how he was adjusting to missing their usual Christmas traditions. Perhaps, if she were to attend Kara’s little shindig, she may be able to distract herself a little better._

_She let out a heavy breath as though she were truly being put upon. “I suppose that I could stop by for a bit, if only to liven things up a little, your current plans sound a bit drab, it could use some improvement, which I will graciously provide. And of course, there is the added bonus of rubbing it in Lois Lane’s face that her own sister would rather spend her holidays with me.” She ended in a tone which made it sound as though the whole thing was her idea. She gave a nod, before slipping right back into work mode. “Call Jackson, see if he and his team can present their work this afternoon; if so push my meeting with Arthur until tomorrow, and cancel with the board, I’m not in the mood to see any of those inept baboons anyway.”_

_Kara just stood there confused, unsure how their conversation had taken such a quick turn. When Cat didn’t hear her shuffle out she looked up from the work at her desk. “Well chop, chop Kiera! I don’t pay you to stand in my office all day.”_

“As far as I know, it’ll say 4D no matter how long you stare at it, granted my personal record is only two minutes and only because my mother was on the other side so…” A voice behind her startled Cat out of her thoughts.

As she turned around she prepared a nasty reply but before she got the chance, the woman pushed her hand out and introduced herself. “Alex Danvers.” She said simply.

Cat took the offered hand, “You’re Kie-uh-Kara’s sister.”

“And you’re Kara’s boss.” Alex withdrew her hand and shoved it into her pocket fishing out her spare key to her sister’s apartment. “Kara mentioned inviting you, I hope you didn’t feel too pressured to come, I know how she can be sometimes.” She said over her shoulder as she unlocked the door, her tone suggesting that perhaps she wasn’t all that happy with Cat’s presence, but wasn’t so tactless as to come right out and say it.

As the lock clicked, Alex twisted the handle and pushed the door open, gesturing with her free hand for Cat to enter before her. It was the kind of power play that Cat usually wouldn’t allow, but she got the feeling Alex was just waiting for her to react in the normal Cat Grant fashion, instead she just gave the woman a nod and continued into the apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whatdya think? A few of you wanted some Alex/Cat interaction, which there should be even more of coming into the next chapter. 
> 
> Also, just as a heads up, as has been pretty generally accepted in the fandom, I will be writing this with Carter having high functioning autism. It is also my own head-canon that Carter's father has had a hard time accepting this/isn't always sensitive to his son's needs, hence taking him skiing when it isn't something Carter himself would enjoy. This is a theme that will be further explored as we continue.


	5. Five Months Earlier: Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, like a good percentage of Michigan residents, I lost power for a while this week. This chapter is the longest thus far though, so hopefully that helps make up for it.

She was pleasantly surprised, it was a little more shabby-chic than she herself preferred, but it was nice and cozy, Pinterest moms would fall to their knees. She immediately saw James and Winn in the living room completely oblivious to the world around them, each gripping an Xbox controller tightly, she had found her own son in this exact position enough times to know they wouldn’t be noticing her anytime soon.

She turned her attention toward the kitchen, and she couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at her lips when she found Kara dancing around the small space to some top 40 hit as she sliced apples. Lucy was sat on a barstool bobbing her head along to the rhythm while she flipped through a magazine.

At the sound of the door clicking shut, Kara’s head popped up and she took in her newly arrived guests. “Miss Grant!” She exclaimed, almost surprised that the woman had actually shown up. She quickly wiped her hands on a towel and moved towards her. Her arms reached up briefly, as though to hug her, before dropping back to her sides, obviously thinking better of it. “I’m so glad you came!” The smile on her face so grand that her eyes became just small slits.

Before she had a chance to reply, Alex brushed past them, stopping only briefly to drop a kiss on her sister’s cheek while simultaneously reaching out to pinch her side, causing Kara to jump back and squeal. Alex just laughed before continuing into the kitchen, grabbing a beer from the fridge and saying a quick hello to Lucy before heading towards the boys, determined to kick both their sorry asses at whatever shoot ‘em up game they were indulging in.

In lieu of a hello, Cat simply held out the bottle of champagne that had been hanging loosely from her left hand for the past nearly twenty minutes. “For the table.” She said in a tone that made it sound as though it was completely normal to hand out bottles of alcohol that cost more than Kara makes in a month.

“Wow,” Kara said as she took in the label, “Thank you Miss Grant, that’s very generous.”

“Don’t sound so shocked, it’s not like I saved a poor baby goat from slaughter, I simply brought a bottle for the table, which is customary.” She said with a small eye roll, at least in these interactions with Kara she felt something resembling normal, it was the setting, and everybody else around that was throwing her off balance.

“Of course Miss Grant.” Kara said with a smile, she herself was glad for the normalcy in her boss, she didn’t regret extending the invite, but she was worried things would be weird outside of the office.

“Cat.”

“I-uh-I’m sorry?” Kara asked adjusting her glasses.

Cat rolled her eyes, “It’s Christmas, and I’m standing in the shoebox you call an apartment, I believe it’s only appropriate that you call me Cat.” She said, with a flippant wave of her hand and an exasperated sigh as though it wasn’t really worth her effort to extend such an offer.

“Oh, right-okay, sure!” Kara tripped a little over her words in her surprise. It felt like in college when her professors insisted on being called by their first name; no matter how much she willed her mouth to say “Dave”, “Dr. Fields” always came out instead. Maybe this wouldn’t be that odd though, she already called her boss by her first name when talking about her with James and Winn outside of work.

Cat cleared her throat to gain her assistant’s attention, once Kara’s eyes had snapped back to hers she gestured behind them. “You were in the kitchen when I came in, was there something in there you need to return to?” She asked.

“Yes!” Kara exclaimed too enthusiastically, “I promised Alex that I’d make her favorite pie today since I demanded my favorite for Thanksgiving.” She responded, walking back toward the kitchen, hoping Cat took the silent invitation to follow her.

Cat almost laughed as she tried to imagine Kara demanding anything. Although she did suppose that her relationship with her sister differed greatly from their own, especially if the holes being burned in the back of her head by said sister were anything to go by.

“Lucy this is Cat Grant, Mi-Uh-Cat, this is Lucy Lane.” Kara introduced the two as they reached the kitchen.

“Nice to meet you.” Lucy said with a smile.

“Mmm.” Cat hummed as she took a seat. “You’re lucky, you have much better bone structure than your sister.

Kara held her breath from where she had returned to slicing apples, but Lucy burst out laughing.

“Thanks,” she said between chuckles. “At least I’m not the only one who thinks so.” She said with a smile.

It wasn’t long before the two had settled into a fairly easy conversation, which Kara was grateful for, so far having Cat here was going much better than she’d expected.

Kara had just finished the pie, and was checking the ham, which luckily looked about done, when Alex came back into the kitchen holding her phone out to Kara. “Mom.” She simply said, something Kara already knew having heard her sister’s phone ring a few minutes before and having used her super-hearing to ensure the DEO wasn’t on the other line about to call them away.

As she reached out to take the phone she saw her sister eying her boss. “Hey,” She poked her as she brought the phone to her ear. _“Be nice.”_ She mouthed as she walked back to her bedroom so she could hear her foster mom on the other end.

“Merry Christmas Eliza!” was the last thing Alex heard before Kara disappeared out of sight. Her eyes dropped to Cat, who immediately noticed and turned so that she could return the look being sent her way, deciding this time not to back down from the challenge.

Lucy noticing the silent exchange tried to break the tension. “So, Alex, just how badly did you beat them?” She asked, referring to the game she’d been playing with James and Winn.

Alex turned to give her a smile, “He might need you to go kiss it better.” She answered.

Lucy got the hint, smiling at them both, before getting up and heading towards the boys in the living room.

When Alex turned her attention back to Cat, she found the woman hadn’t moved at all, still scrutinizing her with what appeared to be equal looks of intrigue and irritation. “I get the feeling you dislike me more than most.” Cat said, hoping that by starting the conversation she could gain quick control of it.

“Why am I not surprised to find that this is a normal occurrence for you?” Alex asked rhetorically.

Cat scoffed, only mildly impressed that this girl was holding steady. Kara would have immediately backed down, obviously the two were very different, something Cat was already aware of from Kara’s stories of her sister.

“What is it exactly that you take issue with?” Cat asked, trying for a more direct route.

“What do I take issue with?” Alex asked incredulous that she’d even have to explain. “I take issue with the way you treat my sister! My sister, who jumps through hoops to keep you happy, who is gracious enough to invite you to Christmas dinner so that you wouldn’t have to be alone.” Alex spoke firmly but quietly, not wanting the object of their discussion to hear and come rushing back in. “She gives her all for you, and you can hardly acknowledge that she’s a person. From what I’ve heard, you can’t even get her name right!”

For her part, Cat just sat calmly, letting Alex get this off her chest, not speaking until she was sure the other woman was done. “I think you underestimate your sister.” She said simply, she wasn’t going to defend her own actions, for that she’d have to be sorry, which she honestly wasn’t.

“You think _you_ know what _my_ sister is capable of better than I do?” Alex all but spit out.

“I think that you were tasked with an extraordinary feat after Kara’s parent’s died.” Cat started.

For the first time since their conversation had begun, Alex actually looked surprised, not realizing that Cat knew about Kara’s past or at least the human version of it.

“I think that you have taken your role as her protector very seriously, and while I know she appreciates it, I also think that it’s given you a rose colored view of her.” She continued seriously. “You look at her and see a young girl who needs her big sister to keep her safe; I look at her and see a young woman who is impeccable at her job, and more than adept of handling my somewhat unorthodox business practices.”

“Unorthodox? I think what you’re looking for is bully.” Alex replied, not ready yet to take on the other part of their conversation.

“You don’t understand,” Cat sighed, “When I started out, I was just an assistant in the good old boys’ club that was the Daily Planet at that time. Not only was I treated as insignificant, but I was objectified. When my boss was frustrated I was screamed at, and when he was happy, I got a pat on my ass.” She paused, trying to pick her next words carefully, “Kara is very likely going to go on to great things, but if I handle her with the kid gloves that she’s gotten used to from you, then she’ll fall flat on her face before she gets the chance.” She explained, “And trust me, she is quite capable of letting me know when she’s had enough.”

“Does she really think that I handle her with kid gloves?” Alex asked in resignation. Apparently, her sister had been confiding in this woman about certain aspects of her life, and she was curious about the things Kara would never say to her directly.

Cat almost laughed, “No, she thinks you’re the greatest human to ever walk the earth.” She replied, surprised to see a genuine smile on Alex’s face at that. “I can’t imagine why,” she drew out, hoping to break the tension in her own weird way, “You seem awfully brash to me.”

Alex’s smile dropped, but there was still a twinkle of something in her eye that told Cat it wasn’t necessarily the wrong thing to say. Before Alex could respond, Kara walked back into the kitchen, handing her sister her phone back and looking between the two women.

“Everything alright in here?” She asked curiously, grateful the apartment was still standing at all.

“Yeah, it’s good.” Alex responded, briefly looking to Cat who just nodded. “How was mom?” she asked, hoping to distract Kara from asking more questions.

“Ugh, good?” She responded, “I’m still not used to her being critical right to me. She spent half of our conversation complaining about my lack of a love life.”

Alex snorted, “Good! At least I don’t have to hear about it anymore.”

“Hey!” Kara said, reaching out to push her sister.

Cat just watched, feeling a warm tug in her stomach, grateful that she was here today and not at work. Even if it did mean having a weird non-fight with Kara’s sister.

The moment was broken by a loud cry from Winn in the living room “I neeeed foooooooood!”

Kara just laughed and sprung into action, while Cat and Alex both turned to glare at the boy. When they turned back they caught each other’s eye. " _So maybe there’s something we can agree on after all”_ Cat thought before Alex turned away to help Kara as she began to move things over to the table.

Dinner went better than either Kara or Cat had expected. Kara insisted that since four of them came from CatCo. work talk was not allowed, also secretly wanting to avoid too many questions about Alex’s job, knowing Cat would instantly pick up on any untruths. Surprisingly, they still had a lot to talk about, James and Lucy had in fact gotten engaged once more, Kara and Winn were both excited for the upcoming Ghostbuster’s revival, and Alex and Cat found that they had surprisingly similar taste in books. Kara was just glad they didn’t look ready to kill each other anymore, the look of disgust that Alex had been sporting earlier had now morphed into something more resembling dislike and curiosity.

After the dishes had been cleared, they all settled in the living room, where Lucy and James insisted on a rematch from game night.

For obvious reason, Lucy and James were on one team; Kara had decided to put Alex and Winn together, in part because she couldn’t in good conscious pair either with Cat, knowing Alex and Cat together could result in the end of the world as they knew it, and Winn and Cat together would most definitely result in Winn spending the rest of the night in the fetal position.  It was just an added plus that Winn didn’t know Alex well enough to accidentally make slips like “Oh, he’s your cousin.” She knew that there would be no way Cat would drop such a comment the way Lucy had last time.

Obviously, that had meant that Kara and Cat were paired up. Despite her aloofness when the game was first mentioned, Cat was incredibly competitive and had been taking the game very seriously once they had begun.

Cat was standing in front of Kara, a stack of cards in her hand “The idiot who thought CatCo. would endorse his presidential bid.”

“Chris Christie.”

“Where I went in August for the Sanders negotiation.”

“Thailand.”

“What I drink after a long day.”

“Bourbon.”

“My arch nemesis”

“Lois Lane.” Kara answered with a brief apologetic look to Lucy who just waved her off.

“I got her kicked out of Coachella last year.”

“North West.”

The buzzer timed, so far they were tied with Lucy and James, poor Alex and Winn only had four points, the further behind they got, the more Winn began to use wild gestures which in turn only made Alex more apathetic.

When it came back around to them, Kara stood in front of Cat, they’d all agreed that this would be the last round.

“Go!” Lucy said.

Kara read the first card in her hand and smiled, “What Carter wanted for his last birthday.”

“An Xbox.”

 “She’s banned from the office.”

“My mother.”

“I bring you one every morning.”

“A Latte.”

“Banned from being played at the office.”

“Country music.”

“A game we’re both really good at.”

“Settlers of Catan.”

“Banned from being eaten at the office.”

“Ethiopian.”

The buzzer sounded again. “No!” Lucy groaned as she tallied up the points, she looked to Cat and Kara, “You beat us by two points.”

Kara whooped and did a little happy dance, while Cat just stayed seated looking smug, pleased that she hadn’t been beaten by a Lane, even if it wasn’t the one she despised.

After the game was put away, Lucy and James said their goodnights and left. As the only man left, and with the glares Cat and Alex kept giving him, Winn wasn’t far behind, and only a few minutes after he left, Alex got called away by work, which luckily didn’t require Supergirl’s help as well.

“I suppose I should head out as well.” Cat said about to stand up.

“No,” Kara said, “At least finish your champagne, you did bring it after all.”

Cat decided not to argue. She wasn’t exactly eager to go back to her empty penthouse.

“I hope you enjoyed yourself,” Kara said, “I know it couldn’t have been as good as Christmas with your son, but hopefully it was better than a conference call with the Melbourne office.”

“I did,” Cat admitted, “Carter was also very pleased that I was coming when I spoke to him this morning.”

“How is he doing?” Kara asked, a little unsure of herself. Usually, when they talked about their personal lives, it was about Kara. She’d wanted to get to know more about her boss as well, beyond just what was necessary for her job, but she wasn’t sure how to ask, or even if Cat would be open to sharing.

“He’s still disappointed that he couldn’t fly home in time,” Cat admitted, “Schedule changes are really hard on him. It’s one of the reasons I was so upset earlier this week.”

“It’d be upsetting to anybody.” Kara said, knowing how much she missed her own holidays and traditions with her own family.

“It didn’t take me long to realize that he was different,” Cat went on, seemingly in the mood to share, not that Kara was objecting. “He didn’t always respond to his name or seek out contact the way other infants would, and he would get so involved when he played, almost obsessive. I had him evaluated without telling his father, I knew he’d have a hard time with it, and I didn’t want to waste any time.”

Kara just stayed silent and let her boss talk, not wanting to break the spell she seemed to be under.

“By the time he was a year and a half old, we had him started on an early intervention program. His pediatrician said the sooner we started the better the outcome we could expect. It was intensive the first few years, but now, he almost always makes eye contact when you talk to him, and he actually likes hugs. He still gets very involved in his interests, but he always includes me.” She said with a smile. “I think that’s why his father has such a hard time with it; he’s the same as other children in so many ways, that it makes it easier for him to ignore all the ways he’s different. Until we have a week like this one where everything gets so mixed up.”

“He’s coming back tomorrow though isn’t he?” Kara asked, already knowing the answer since she had booked the flight herself.

“Yes,” Cat said looking down at her now empty glass, “And I promised him that I would pick him up from the airport myself, which means that I should get home and get some sleep, somebody scheduled his flight for 7am” She said pointedly, setting her glass down on the coffee table and standing.

“Hey, you said as soon as possible, I was just doing what you asked.” Kara said with a smile as she stood as well, knowing Cat wasn’t actually upset.

“Thank you for having me, it wasn’t nearly as dreadful as I thought it’d be, although that may have been my influence.” Cat said as they reached the door.

Kara just shook her head with a smile, as she turned the know and held the door open for her boss. “Goodnight Cat.” She said.

“Goodnight,” She paused “Kara.”

As she crawled into bed that night, Kara couldn’t help but feel giddy, finally it felt like they were making some real progress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What'd you guys think? I did my last edit at 1:30am and it felt a little choppy but I wasn't sure if it was just me being tired. Thanks as always for reading and leaving me your feedback :)


	6. Four Months and Three Weeks Earlier

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Long time no see, I'm so sorry this has taken me so long to update, I've just been super stuck, but thanks to Mari aka red-streak who let me bounce some ideas off her, I was re-inspired to get this chapter out. Also, just for reference, I've always pictured Carter's dad to look like Ed Quinn, which is why I named him Nathan in honor of Eureka. Anyways, I hope you all like it :)

Monday rolled back around, and Kara had just heard Cat’s private elevator hum to life, giving her the cue to discreetly reheat the latte in her hand. As the doors chimed and pulled open, Kara was all smiles, still riding the high of everything having gone well on Friday.

Cat, however, simply slipped off the elevator, walking with a purpose. The only indication that she even saw Kara standing there was the waiting hand that reached out to take the coffee before continuing into her office, shutting the doors behind her, clearly not wanting to be disturbed.

Kara frowned, wondering if something had happened that weekend. She knew that Carter made it safely back to the city, having checked the flight manifest Saturday morning. As far as she knew, Cat had planned on setting work aside, as much as possible, to enjoy the two days she had with her son, wanting to make up for having missed the holiday together.

Part of her wanted to follow Cat into her office, to figure out what was wrong and see if she could fix it. It was the same part of her that secretly wondered if certain mythical creatures really did exist because it didn’t seem so crazy considering she herself was an alien who flew around in a bulletproof suit, fighting crime.

The larger, more rational, part of her knew that would be a bad idea. This was the part of her that had been at CatCo. since graduating from college, the part that had learned the hard way exactly what would happen if she didn’t respect her boss’s need for space.

Cat wasn’t like her. Where Kara pulled people close in times of crisis, Cat drew a very distinct circle around herself, making everybody stand on the edge until she had established her own plan to fix the problem, carefully pulling it all apart, laying all the pieces in a neat row, and then painstakingly putting it back together again. Only then, and only with direct permission was one allowed to help.

Kara decided that, until Cat reached that point, she would focus her attention on prepping for the week. After three months at CatCo. Kara had begun to keep a list of everything Cat would usually need to get done at the beginning of the week starting with things that were a must do and ending with things that Cat may not ask for but would be helpful nonetheless.

Alex insisted that it was a bit much, but she liked being prepared, and it honestly had saved her a few times when she got called away on Supergirl duty, Cat being none the wiser that she’d slipped out since she’d still managed to get all of her work done. Her system kind of rocked. And as far as she was concerned, her sister was just jealous that her own job was too unpredictable to make such a list for herself.

She’d sped through most of her tasks (she may have stopped by the office for an hour or two or six over the weekend to get started since they’d had Thursday and Friday off) she was just about to start on the last three items when she heard the deep intake of breath that usually preceded her summoning, she was out of her seat and reaching for the handle on the glass doors before Cat had even said her name.

“KA-” Cat stopped upon realizing her assistant was already standing in front of her, her eyes narrowed slightly. “Someday, I’m going to discover just how you manage to do that.” After the fifth time it’d happened, she’d had her office swept for bugs, convinced that Kara had rigged up a system to spy on her but when nothing was found she had set the thoughts aside deciding to enjoy her assistant’s competence.

Kara just smiled. “What can I do for you Miss Grant?” She asked.

“What do you know about party planning?” Her tone was meant to come off light, but Kara could sense the slight urgency and anxiety that hid beneath the surface.

She wracked her brain. The truth was she knew next to nothing about planning a party, aside from going all out for Alex’s birthday, and the annual ‘Around-the-World’ party in college, she’d never been involved in putting anything together. There was the Supergirl launch, but Cat had hired an outside planner a few weeks in advance for that so Kara had been more of a point person between him and Cat than anything else.

“What kind of party?” Kara probed.

Cat signed. “CatCo. is being asked to host this year’s New Year’s Eve party.”

“We hosted last year.” Kara said confusedly. They were part of a circuit, various companies would take turns hosting a party every New Year’s Eve, all of them trying to up whoever hosted the year before. This year, a company named Lantern was set to host, they were a financial group whose slogan was something very predictable like _“Let us light your way toward fiscal success.”_

“Lantern’s CEO found himself in the middle of the Ashley Madison scandal, which normally would pass over with as much fuss as a D-lister nip-slip, however, in this instance the “woman” he was communicating with was actually a recent MIT grad who planted a virus on his computer and drained all of their corporate accounts before buying a one-way ticket to a country without an extradition policy. Which means there is no more Lantern, they’ve gone bankrupt.”

“That’s awful!” Kara exclaimed, thinking of all the employees who were now losing their jobs right after Christmas.

“It’s deserved.” Cat countered. “What _is_ awful is the timing. The news broke last night but I had turned my phone off so my time with Carter wouldn’t be interrupted, apparently the rest of the vultures decided on my behalf that CatCo. would take over as host for this year’s party.”

“We have three days-” Kara started to question before being cut off.

“To put together a party that will annihilate whatever Madonna or Elton have planned.” Cat confirmed. “I will not let that over publicized, dried up piece of jerky have the satisfaction of a better turn out just because we were left with short notice.” She finished and Kara wasn’t really sure whether she meant Madonna or Elton but felt it better not to ask.

“Of course. What do you need from me?” Kara asked, voice full of determination.

“It’s too late to get any of my usual planners, not that I didn’t try but they have all suddenly developed some integrity and refuse to be swayed away from their current projects, and it’ll take too long to debrief somebody new, which means I need you to do it.”

“You want me to plan the whole thing?” Her previous determination was slowly slipping into uncertainty.

“You’re the only one who knows me well enough to pull it off without having to stop and ask for my opinion every two minutes. There’s an empty office around the corner you can use. Bring in whoever you need to help. My only request is to keep the whole thing Carter friendly, I’ll have HR send somebody up to take care of your usual responsibilities for the week.”

Kara still looked a little unsure, Cat rolled her eyes and sighed. “Kara, I trust you, if there’s anybody in this office who can pull this off, it’s probably you.” Even though she made a face as though somebody were suggesting surgery without anesthesia, her tone was sincere.

If Kara weren’t already delighted to hear her actual name pass her boss’s lips, her words set off small fire in her belly that renewed her confidence.  

///

The days that followed had been brutal. Kara was just grateful that things had been slow on the Supergirl front, the silence from so many of her usual enemies concerned her a little but with all the pressure of the upcoming party she couldn’t find it in herself to worry too much.

Now, two hours before the party was set to begin, Kara felt like her heart may just explode as she began to panic about the direction she had decided to take the whole thing. She knew that nobody would be expecting something like this from a CatCo. party but she also knew if they had any hope of setting themselves apart from the rest of the parties taking place that night, she would need to take a risk and hope it paid off.

She had managed to keep Cat in the dark. This was always one of the busiest times at CatCo. Between the days off for the holidays, and the usual business that always came up when closing out the end of the year, their workload increased three-fold. Cat had insisted that Kara just make sure the driver had the address for the party, so aside from having to sign a few papers that Kara was sure she hadn’t read anyway, she was certain that her boss had no idea what she’d be walking into tonight, which was also probably the only reason Kara herself was still alive and well.

She’d just gotten off the phone with the last of the twelve caterers, and was assured that everything was still on track. She grabbed the garment bag that held her dress in it, and the tablet that contained every last detail she’d need to complete the set-up, before leaving her apartment, deciding to push her nervousness aside for now.

///

Her mission had been successful until the very moment her eyes met Cat’s as the two Grants entered the party that night, forty-five minutes after most of their guests had arrived. Carter looked absolutely delighted, and Kara at least felt comforted that she’d been successful on one front, considering that the withering glare she was getting from Cat had her almost certain that she would be hunting for a new job the next day.

“Kiera, a word.” She ground out as soon as they were close enough to not be overheard by other guests. It was weird to hear after three days of nothing but “Karas” being directed at her from the other woman.

Carter seemed oblivious to the tension between his mother and her assistant as he bounced up to her, eyes quickly shooting up to meet hers as he threw out an excited “Hi Kara!” before he continued to scan the space around them.

“Hello Carter,” she addressed him first, a soft smile tugging at her lips, “your mom and I have to talk for a minute but before we do that, I need you two to follow me really quick.” She started to walk away, sure that Carter at least would follow without complaint.

She stopped at a small station set up a few meters from the entrance, smiling at the usher behind the post, signaling politely for him to step back so she herself could check Cat and Carter in.

“Can I see your hand Carter?” She asked.

He furrowed his brow slightly but obliged, Kara took his had softly in one of her own and pressed an invisible stamp to the back of it, before giving it a gentle squeeze and letting go. She turned to Cat and signaled for her hand as well, which went much faster as Cat yanked her own hand back as soon as the rubber had been pulled away from her skin.

“There, now you and your mom match.” Kara smiled, still directing her words solely to Carter. There were guards at all the exits with handheld black lights, making sure no child would be able to leave with anybody who had a stamp different from their own. “And this,” she said handing him a small pin to put on the lapel of his jacket, “will make sure you have access to all of the best stuff tonight.” In reality it was a small GPS tracker she’d snagged from the DEO, knowing, after the incident with the bullet train, how precocious Carter could be. 

“Cool! Can I go Mom?” He directed his attention to her, his fingers twitching excitedly at his side.

“Of course sweetie, just stay where I can see you.” She directed, and he was off. Kara looked up to Winn and nodded, he politely broke off his own conversation to catch up to Carter and keep an extra eye on him.  Once she was certain Carter was set, Kara turned her attention back to her fuming boss.

“The children’s museum?! Gaga is on stage downtown surrounded by no less than six half naked models, at least four of which will somehow exchange bodily fluids with her before the ball drops, and I’ll be here, what? Blowing bubbles?”

“No, you’ll be here breaking the record for the most money raised for charity in the first minutes of the new year.” Kara replied, trying to remain confident regardless of the hate fire she could feel licking her skin from Cat’s gaze.

“One minute. Explain.” Cat demanded.

Kara wasted no time launching into her well prepared speech. “Venue space was extremely limited on such short notice, so I knew we’d have to be a little unconventional. I tried the observatory first which was already booked but when I talked to them they suggested this, saying a lot of corporate events are held in the banquet halls here. When I called just to see what kind of space would be available, they told me that they were already holding a fundraising event here for a handful of children’s charities. I rounded up all of the charities and suggested a partnership, their event was small, but with CatCo’s help, we could make a big impact, a good amount of our invites are smarmy, drunk one-percenters who want to feel like they’re ringing in the new year in a way that’ll absolve them of their sins in 2015, who better to target? And since the emergence of Supergirl, CatCo. has begun to highlight this sort of thing so it’s appropriate with our branding.

“Plus, even if most of them would never admit it, adults still love this sort of thing, and they don’t have to feel guilty leaving their kids behind with a sitter for the night. I’ve also worked with the museum staff to make some of the exhibits more adult friendly, and we have twelve caterers, two on every floor all with open bars. At ten we’re going to dim the lights down and turn the first floor into a giant dance floor, and we have our own ball set to drop from the sixth floor to the middle of the dance floor at midnight.” Kara finished with one last breath, looking at her watch and seeing she still had seventeen seconds to spare.

Cat continued to study her, though he expression had changed, she no longer looked angry and disappointed but rather calculating and curious.

“How much did it cost?” She asked after another minute.

“At least a fifth of last year’s party. The venue was free since we’re partnering with the charities, the caterers are only charging us for alcohol, and about 75% of everything else was donated with the promise of a CatCo endorsement or ad-space, don’t worry, I only extended those offers to companies that were already on our approved list.”

 “Well, it’s certainly unique.” Cat conceded, still looking at her thoughtfully.

“If it’s a complete disaster, you can fire me tomorrow, but for now, just...ya know, enjoy the night with your son.” Kara told her, nodding in Carter’s direction, where he was standing underneath a life-size transformer, listening intently to something Winn was saying.

Cat couldn’t help her smile at her son’s excitement. “And you?” She asked, directing her attention back to Kara.

“I have to do another sweep, to make sure everything is running smoothly.”

“Of course, keep me updated.” She told Kara before walking away toward her son. Even though her words were professional, Kara sensed something else along the edges, an approval or an invitation, she wasn’t quite sure, but it made her stomach flutter all the same.

///

An hour later, the dancefloor had just been rolled out, and Kara was finishing her second loop around the building, a feat that would have been more difficult if she really were human, given the building was just over 400,000 square feet. She couldn’t help but be proud that things were going well thus far. After a quick conversation with the three charity heads, she was glad to say her original suspicions had been confirmed, the CEOs and board members really were eager for some sort of redemption, at least for the night, their total donations had just crossed into the eight digits.

Checking her watch once more, Kara decided it was time for her big play of the night. She glanced around before slipping out a side door. She’d stashed her suit on a rooftop a few buildings down, and after a quick change she was landing outside the main entrance of the museum. The guards had received a warning from James Olsen that she might be stopping by but the reality of seeing a real superhero had a few of them looking like they may pass out.

She smiled politely before gesturing as if to ask if she could enter, even though they all knew they couldn’t really stop her. Finally, after a few shocked seconds, one of them nodded and moved to pull aside the velvet rope and let her past.

“Thank you.” She said with a gentle nod before moving further inside. The party goers all stopped and watched as she scanned the area for the person she was looking for, it didn’t take her long to find him. With long confident strides she crossed the room quickly.

“Hey James, Major Lane.” She greeted as she came to stand in front of them.

“Supergirl, it’s good to see you again.” James smiled knowingly. Lucy just gave her a tight smile and watched her curiously.

“Thanks for passing along the message about this,” Kara started, gesturing around them, “it’s pretty cool.”

“ _Our_ friend Kara put it together, she’s Cat's assistant.” Lucy’s tone was sharp, clearly drawing the lines between their little group and Supergirl. Kara almost laughed at the irony of it all.

“I’ll have to meet her sometime.” Kara responded lightly. “Speaking of, have you seen Miss Grant yet? I don’t want to leave before wishing her a happy New Year.”

Truthfully, she knew exactly where Cat and Carter were, having frequently peeked at her phone which was keeping track of the younger Grant, but Supergirl obviously shouldn’t know that which is why she made the detour through James.

“The last I heard, she was on the fourth floor near the Lego exhibit.” James answered.

Kara nodded and wished them each a warm goodbye, noticing the inquisitive gaze Lucy was giving her as though putting together a puzzle with pieces from eight different boxes.  

///

Cat watched her son as he sorted through a giant tub of Legos. She had to resist the urge to grab his hands and wipe them down with disinfectant.

Kara had been right; the whole night had been a huge success thus far. She’d yet to run into anybody with something negative to say. She and Carter had managed to make it to at least half a dozen exhibits each one capturing his attention and she found herself not caring so much what anybody else thought anyway so long as he was happy, it wasn’t often that one of her own events could evoke such excitement from him.

She glanced across the way and watched the fashion show that was taking place on the other side of the floor. The small runway that was usually reserved for children had been extended, and somehow, Kara had managed to get top designers to bring in new pieces from their collections for the guests to try on and play in, it was ridiculous and incredible to watch these grown adults dance around like third graders on a sugar high in clothes that probably cost more than their yearly salaries.

She’d been so busy admiring the bead work on one such dress that she didn’t even register the new presence beside her until the person cleared their throat lightly.

“Supergirl?” She said surprised as she turned at the interruption. Immediately, Carter was out of his seat and by her side.

“Supergirl!” He exclaimed happily.

“Hello.” She grinned as she greeted them both, amused at their matching expressions.

“What are you doing here?” Carter spoke first.

“I heard about your mother’s party from a friend so I thought I would come and say hello.” She explained, moving to kneel in front of the boy.

“Are you going to stay? There’s pizza!” Kara had been sure to get it from his favorite place, having ordered it to the penthouse enough to know exactly what to request.

She chuckled lightly at his enthusiasm. “I’m sorry Carter, but I can’t. I have to work but I didn’t want to let the night pass without wishing you each a happy New Year.” She told him, eyes moving to meet Cat’s who watched on with a fond expression.

“Happy New Year Supergirl.” Carter wished her, face serious, like it was his own personal mission to make the words true.

“Yes, Happy New Year Supergirl.” Cat echoed.

“Happy New Year Carter, Happy New Year Miss Grant.” Kara replied, moving to stand. “Thank you for helping to make this year one of my best.” She told Cat, holding her gaze briefly before stepping back. She gave them each one last wave before turning, moving toward the balcony, she flew over the railing and back down to the main entrance. It was a little flashier than normal for her, but she figured the theatrics would probably help with the hype of the party.

A few minutes later she slipped back through the side door in her party dress.

///

After the superhero’s appearance, the donations had sky-rocketed again, as if the reminder of what it meant to be good had those in attendance aspiring to do more, it was exactly what Kara had been aiming for.

She’d done one more loop around the building before moving to join Cat and Carter, knowing if anything serious needed her attention, she’d pick it up with her super hearing.

Carter had been chatting her ear off about Supergirl, giving her the play by play of their visit.

“And then she thanked Mom for all of her help! She’s so cool.” He stopped for a minute looking contemplative. “Do you think she even celebrates New Year’s?” He asked them. “’Cause she said she had to work, and maybe the calendar is different where she’s from. That must be really sad, having to celebrate all of our holidays but not having many people to share her own with.” He looked genuinely disturbed at this. “You should ask her Mom; we could celebrate with her!”

Cat looked a mixture of contemplative and proud. “That’s a wonderful idea darling.” She ran her fingers through his curls lovingly.

Kara could feel the lump in her throat at his thoughtfulness. She coughed to clear it and excused herself to get some water from the bar a few exhibits away.

As she turned away from the bar, she almost spilled her drink as she collided with somebody else.

“I am so sorry!” She exclaimed before looking up. “Oh, Mr. Walsh, hi.” She looked at him with interest, they’d only met a few times and she wasn’t sure he’d recognize her.

“Hi Kara.” He responded, his voice was warm as it always was when they met, so contradictory to what she knew of him.

“I didn’t know that you were coming tonight.” She said, keeping her voice unassuming but inquisitive.

“Yeah, I-” He broke off and looked across the room where Cat and Carter stood together, oblivious to his presence. “I just wanted to see my son.”

“Have you said hello yet?” She asked, although she already suspected the answer.

“No, no. I don’t want to interrupt, they’re having fun.” He was still watching the other two. “It’s always been so much easier for her, connecting with him; he should have that tonight. I’ve already fumbled up the last few weeks enough.” His voice was serious, self-depreciating, before Kara had a chance to jump in and comfort him he continued, “Thank you for your help with that by the way.” He pulled his gaze away from Carter and looked at her.

“Of course!” She said a little too enthusiastically. “I didn’t really do much, I just booked the tickets home.”

“Nah, don’t sell yourself short Kara. I know how stressful it must have been for her, Carter had a hard time with it, but he felt a lot better knowing you were looking after his mom, and he said that Kit was really grateful that you invited her over, she had fun.” He told her with a wink, knowing Cat would never tell Kara that herself.

Kara blushed. “She deserves it. To have fun.” This time it was her gaze that shot across the room to her boss and her son.

“She does.” He agreed softly, and Kara could tell from his tone that even after being divorced for nearly eight years, he still loved her in his own way. “I’m glad she’s happy.”

When Kara met his eyes again, she felt like he was trying to tell her something, but what, she wasn’t sure, so she just smiled again in agreement.

“Anyway,” he shook himself out of his thoughts, “I’ve taken up enough of your evening, I should go, try to beat the traffic home. Happy New Year’s Kara.”

“Happy New Year’s Nathan.” She wished him back, watching as he walked away toward the staircase.

She looked down and checked her watch, seeing that they only had about ten minutes before midnight. She quickly radioed in to the team setting up the ball drop to make sure they were still on schedule, they assured her everything was a go.

She was getting ready to walk back to the Grants, when Winn popped up at her side.

“Kara! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” He exclaimed, a little out of breath.

“Here I am.” She laughed, hands going out to her side.

“Here you are.” He agreed.

They stood there for just a minute, and Kara could feel the nervousness radiating off of him. “Did you need something?” She asked finally. Her gaze once again drifting to Cat and Carter, wanting to make sure she didn’t lose them in the crowd as people began to get ready for midnight.

“Well, they say the way you start the new year is the way you’ll spend it, so I figured I should start it with you.” His words were sweet, and if it weren’t for the glint in his eye that told her it was something more for him, she would have laughed and grabbed his hand, glad to have such a great best friend.

“You know, I actually think that’s an OC reference.” She told him, returning her attention to him, knowing she could check her phone to find Carter if she needed to.

“Is it?” The way he asked told her he didn’t care either way. “Even so...” He said, rocking on his heels a little, waiting for her to agree.

She was saved when a small pair of arms wrapped around her. “C’mon Kara, you have to watch the ball drop with us!”

She laughed and reached an arm to wrap around Carter’s shoulders. She looked apologetically at Winn who just smiled and gestured for her to go ahead, not having the heart to argue with the little boy. “I’ll catch up with you later?” She asked as Carter pulled her away.

“Yeah, sure.” Winn said with a smile, clearly trying to hide his disappointment.

“’Kay.” She agreed before turning away, following Carter to where Cat stood a few feet away.

“Mom says we should watch from the second floor,” Carter told her, “that way we can see everything but we won’t get stuck in the crowd downstairs.”

“That’s a good plan.” Kara replied.

“Of course it is dear, I thought of it.” Cat said as they approached. “We thought perhaps you needed an intervention.” She said, eyes flashing to Winn.

Kara nodded gratefully but said nothing, feeling bad about ditching her friend. The exchange went over Carter’s head as he reached out and grabbed them both by the hands and pulled them along to the stairs. They quickly made their way down to the second floor and found a spot at the railing.

The lights dimmed, drawing everybody’s attention to the giant glowing ball at the top of the building. Carter stood between them, simultaneously tucked into both of their sides, their arms touched as they both wrapped them around the boy between them.

Kara turned at watched the two next to her thinking that even if it were different from the traditions of her childhood, this was still pretty great.

“Watch the ball dear.” Cat told her without pulling her own eyes away.

Kara turned back, tightening her grip on Carter just a little bit. She thought back to Winn’s words and decided she’d be pretty happy if she could spend the rest of her year just like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whatcha think? My best friend and I were planning an event a few years ago and looked into doing it at a children's museum which is apparently pretty common. Also, while I was doing my research for this, I found a super cool event at the Indianapolis Children's Museum that's an adults only night which I immediately ordered tickets for, so thanks to this fic, my best friend and I will be road-tripping to go to it :)


	7. Three Months, Three Weeks, and Three Days Earlier

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! 
> 
> Sorry these updates have been so erratic, I was going to try to get this up a week ago but then I got really sick. I wish I could promise to do better but between work and life in general I don't always get time to sit down and write, but I promise I won't leave it unfinished!

There was a reason Kara loved Noonan’s, several in fact. They knew her there, always greeting her with a smile, regardless of who was behind the counter, usually her order was rung up before she even reached the register, and they never put up a fuss about how complex Miss Grant’s order could get. And it was cozy, with an atmosphere that always put her at ease. Not to mention the product was just damn good, as somebody with the metabolism that was literally out of this world, she felt she was more than qualified to rate it as the best café/restaurant in the city’s radius.

The problem was that Noonan’s had hired a new barista two weeks ago, Allister or “Manbun” as Alex and Lucy had taken to calling him, and he seemed to have quickly developed an infatuation for Kara that went from flattering to uncomfortable after two short interactions.

Kara was trying her best to let it go unnoticed, but for three days in a row she’d been late getting into the office because he’d held her up in his attempts to be charming. This morning he’d even informed her that he’d put in a request to work more morning hours because of how much he was enjoying their morning meetings. Her attempts to dissuade him had been unsuccessful thus far; she’d even straightforwardly told him she wasn’t interested the day before but he’d just smiled like she was the most adorable thing he’d ever met and dismissed her words as though she was sure to change her mind. She’d never wanted to laser-eye a civilian so much before.

 She decided that she would take Alex up on her offer to start accompanying her to the café in the mornings, Hank wouldn’t mind her being a few minutes later than normal, maybe he’d even want to tag along, his grumpy-dad face was getting more impressive by the day.

As her elevator brought her closer and closer to the top floor of CatCo. HQ, she took advantage of the empty car and brought Cat’s coffee to the perfect temp. knowing that today would mark the fourth time in as many days that her boss would already be seated at her desk when she arrived.

With the ding of the elevator, Kara adjusted her grip, and prepared her next apology spiel only to be greeted with the second reason she’d begun to feel homesick for the matriarchal views that’d been held by many on Krypton.

“Kara! Looks like you’ve already gotten your sugar fix for the morning.” He gestured to the bag that sat next to the coffees holding the cruller she’d been craving since climbing into bed the night before.

“Good morning, Winn.” She greeted him, trying her best to keep her usual smile from slipping, reminding herself that he was still her best friend, even if things had been weird since the New Year’s Eve party.

“So, I was thinking,” He started as they made their way toward the bullpen, “since you obviously haven’t eaten yet, maybe we could have our breakfast together on the employee balcony? I can’t think of a better start to my morning.” He added the last bit with a twinkle in his eye.

“Sorry, Winn,” She said apologetically, “but I really need to get this to Miss Grant, I’m already running late.” She held the bag up in defense.

“Oh. Yeah, of course.” He tried to play it off but she could tell by the way his voice got higher that he was disappointed.

She didn’t have long to convince herself to feel bad about it though as she sidestepped him and walked toward Cat’s office, pulling her shoulders up as though walking into battle. Cat had been irritated by her tardiness the last three days and she can only imagine what a fourth was going to result in.

“Miss Grant, I’m so sorry-” Her apology was rolling off her tongue as soon as she pushed through the glass doors to her boss’s office, walking forward to set the latte down on Cat’s desk, almost missing the brown hair just peeking out over the back of the chair that sat in front of Cat’s desk. “Oh! Sorry, I forgot you guys had a meeting this morning.”

“Kiera sit.” Cat ordered without looking up, annoyance clear in her voice.

Kara cringed at the old name, that was now only used when her boss was particularly irritated, but dropped into the seat without saying anything, glancing to the woman at her side to find her hiding a smirk behind her hand, clearly amused by the interaction, Kara just sent her a little glare back.

“Would you care to explain to me why you are late again after the discussion we had about this yesterday?” Cat asked, eyes still directed at the paperwork in her hands.

“There’s this new barista at Noonan’s who’s become a little…” She trailed off, trying to think of the right word.

“Obsessive?” Lucy finally spoke up.

“Yes, I suppose that would fit.” Kara said softly, with a little cringe.

“Let me guess: Allister?” Cat asked, having reached over and taken her coffee from where Kara had set it.

“Yeah…How did you know that?” Kara asked slowly, giving Lucy a side glance and wondering if Cat had suddenly developed the ability to read minds, J’onn would be so jealous.

Cat turned the cup in her hand to reveal the writing Kara hadn’t caught earlier, _‘Call me maybe?’,_ followed by a number Kara didn’t recognize and the man’s name, there was also a doodle that didn’t make much sense but Kara thought maybe it was supposed to be a fish.

“Perhaps I should have you go get a blood panel done to ensure you’re not secreting more pheromones than normal.” Cat said, eyes moving just slightly upward in a way that indicated she was actually considering it.

“No!” Kara burst out, startling the other two women, she laughed nervously trying to dispel the curious gazes being sent her way. “No, really that’s not necessary, I’m handling it.”

“Mmm.” Cat hummed out with a raised eyebrow, seriously doubting her assistant’s ability to “handle” it.

“My offer to file a motion for a restraining order still stands.” Lucy intervened.

“Then I’d have to change coffee houses, and I love Noonan’s.” Kara replied, just as she told Lucy when she’d offered a week ago.

“No way! Sammy loves you, you’re probably responsible for half their revenue with how much you eat there, she’d totally fire him for you.”

“I don’t want anybody to get fired, I just want to order my coffee in peace. Which is why, Alex is going to start going with me in the mornings.”

“You shouldn’t have to bring muscle with you to a coffee shop!” Lucy argued back.

“She’s not muscle,” Kara insisted, “she’ll just be a buffer; plus, it’ll give us good sisterly bonding time.”

Cat just sat back watching the interaction, learning more than either woman probably intended to give away. First, that Lucy and Kara had apparently already discussed this matter even though it was the first she was hearing of it, she couldn’t help the pang of hurt that she felt at that. Second, that Lucy thought of Alex Danvers as ‘muscle’. It could have just been odd wording, but Cat had been wracking her brain to figure out what the older Danvers did for a living since Kara always managed to purposefully side-step that topic. It was obvious that she was an intellectual, but there was something more lingering that she couldn’t quite place, something it seemed Lucy had once again learned before her.

“Kara,” She started after another minute of watching the two argue, only continuing when the other woman’s eyes had re-focused on her, “cancel my morning, then I need you to go downstairs and get fashion and sports to agree on the formatting for their shared spread next week, if you have to, tell Bradley that I am not above calling every preschool in the city and having his daughter blacklisted, to get it done.”

“Yes, Miss Grant.” Kara said standing and preparing to leave the office.

“Oh, and Kara?” She asked as the other woman reached the door.

“Yes, Miss Grant?”

“It’s Thursday.” She reminded her.

“Of course, Miss Grant.” Kara answered. “How does Vivliano’s sound?”

“Perfect.” Cat answered before turning back to the paperwork she and Lucy had been going over in a clear dismissal, ignoring the curious look being sent her way from the young lawyer.

As soon as Cat saw Kara head for the elevators twenty minutes later, she put down the papers she and Lucy were still looking over. Pulling off her glasses, she looked Lucy in the eye.

“I want you to get that paperwork together for that restraining order.” She spoke seriously.

“Cat,” Lucy sighed, “I can’t. You heard Kara, she doesn’t want one.”

“I don’t care, if this man is making her uncomfortable enough that she has to use the buddy system to go to a public place in the morning, then she obviously needs it, regardless of what she wants.”

“I agree, and if it were that simple, I would have filed it myself last week, but legally, I need Kara’s consent to file any motion on her behalf.” She explained, shifting in her seat under Cat’s intense scrutiny.

“Fine,” Cat huffed, “but have the paperwork drawn up, that way if she changes her mind, it’s ready to go.”

“Okay.” Lucy agreed with a small smirk that got under Cat’s skin, who was Baby Lane to be making judgements about her anyway? “You’re dismissed.” Cat said with an exasperated wave of her hand.

Once Lucy was through the doors, she looked to Kara’s desk to ensure she was still downstairs before grabbing her coat and her bag, heading toward her private elevator.

///

Cat walked through the doors leading into Noonan’s with purpose remembering the last time she’d been there in person had been with Kara a couple months back when she’d downed martinis and gone on and on about her time with the Planet. It was before they’d started their mentor/mentee relationship officially, but it was still one of her fonder memories, although she had vowed to start cutting back a little after waking up the next morning still in her work clothes, a blanket from the back of the couch thrown over her, and a note in Kara’s delicate script, letting her know her morning meetings had been pushed back, on her bedside table with two aspirin and a bottle of water. That was when she decided it was time to give in to the pull in her chest that wanted her to get to know her assistant better.

She felt that returning to the place it all started to deal with the man-child that was currently harassing Kara was part of that commitment.

She scanned the place trying to locate the walking piece of garbage who Lucy had described. Instead her eyes fell on a familiar brunette who was sending a glare her way from the other side of the bar.

Making her way to where the other woman was standing, she hoisted her purse up on her shoulder and crossed her arms defensively across her chest, the other woman mirroring her stance as she came to stand in front of her.

“Miss Danvers.” Cat greeted curtly.

“Cat.” Alex greeted back with a look that was equally smug and curious.

“I wasn’t aware that Noonan’s was so close to your place of work.” Her voice was light, but Alex wasn’t biting.

“I wasn’t aware that you ever came here yourself, isn’t this part of Kara’s job?” She tossed back.

“I required your sister’s attention on more important matters this morning; I am capable of getting my own coffee without her.”

The two women continued to stare at each other for a moment, they hadn’t seen each other since the Christmas party and even though it’d gone pretty well, it wasn’t exactly like they were friends or even liked each other, and neither knew what to say next.

Alex’s phone buzzed interrupting their staring contest. Her face scrunched up as she read whatever message she’d just received.

“Everything okay?” Cat asked, seemingly genuine.

“Nothing I can’t handle.” Alex replied, looking up and scanning the area around them, clearly searching for something or someone.

It took Cat a second to put it together, but as she watched Alex’s eyes take in the other’s around them she realized the older Danvers was here for the same reason she was.

“Perhaps he’s on his break.” She offered, she still hadn’t seen anybody who’d fit Lucy’s description.

Alex’s attention immediately snapped back to her. “You know about this?”

“He left his number on my cup this morning, and your sister is terrible at keeping things to herself.” She explained.

Alex snorted at the truth in that statement. “She didn’t want anybody to tell you.” She mumbled, before startling once more. “Wait,” she said, looking Cat over, and realizing why the older woman was there too, “so you learn that some coffee shop hipster is pestering your assistant and immediately come down here to defend her honor?”

“You say that as though you’re not here doing the same thing.” Cat feigned nonchalance.

“She’s my _sister_.” Alex reminded her. “And we established the last time we spoke that I’m overprotective and overbearing. What’s your excuse?”

Cat, not liking being put on the spot, moved so that one hand was on her hip, jutting it out just slightly in her signature power stance. “I am a very busy woman who can’t afford to have my assistant be late and frazzled every morning because some untamed caligynephile refuses to take no for an answer.”

“Untamed caligynephile, huh? We mostly just call him a fuckboy.” Alex said with a smirk. “And if that were really the truth, you would have fired Winn a long time ago.”

Cat rolled her eyes, “Your sister actually likes that one for some reason.” They each exchanged a disgusted look at that before Cat continued, “I value Kara a great deal, and I want what’s best for her.” She answered truthfully, making sure to choose her words carefully.

“You care about her.” Alex translated.

“I suppose one might say that I’m fond of her, yes.” She admitted, watching as something shifted in Alex’s eyes, suddenly her posture relaxed.

“I guess I could have worse back-up.” Alex finally said, gesturing to the counter.

“Agreed.”

Before anything else could be said, a throat cleared, “Ladies, can I help you with something?”

They both turned, Cat smirking as she realized the man she’d come here to see was addressing them.

“You must be Manbun.”

///

Cat was just signing off an email to Carter’s teacher when she heard the Kara’s tell-tale knock. The girl refused to use the bell, and Cat thought it was ridiculous that Kara felt the need to make something as simple as touching her knuckles to wood so personal and melodic.

She hit the send button, before closing the lid to her personal laptop and making her way to let Kara in, smiling at the sight of her assistant, one arm full of the paperwork Cat had requested she bring with her, and the other holding a bag that smelled of Carter’s favorite Italian place.

It'd become their new Thursday night routine after the holidays. Between the mix-up in his trip with his father and the break from school, Cat wanted to be home more to help Carter adjust back to his regular schedule when school started, which meant that their usual late night at the office had been relocated to the penthouse.

It had been a little awkward at first, Kara had been there a handful of times to pick something up or drop something off, or on one or two occasions to wrangle an inebriated Cat into bed after an overindulgence in martinis and bourbon. But she’d never been invited to stay longer than it took for Cat to swipe a pen across paper or pass out on top of her covers.

It was just lucky that Carter was around to keep things running smoothly, completely oblivious to the uncertainty around him, he fully embraced Kara’s presence and put both women at ease. Now, almost a month later, it had become just another part of their normal.

The boy in question came dashing out of his room and toward the kitchen where Cat was pulling down plates for their dinner while Kara emptied the take-out bag onto the counter.

“Hi Kara!” He greeted her with the same amount of enthusiasm as always.

“Hello Carter.” She greeted back with a smile, instantly launching into asking him about his day at school.

Cat is fairly certain that by this point she could write a script for the first five minutes of their interactions, Kara always asking him the same series of questions, letting Carter adjust to her presence.

They sat down to eat first, the three of them talking about their day, Carter going on and on about the new history lesson they were starting in social studies, and Cat expertly avoiding telling Kara where exactly she disappeared to for nearly an hour that morning, which was only making the suspicious look on her face grow.

Once they finished their meal, Carter pushed his chair in and brought his plate to the sink before disappearing down the hall for his nightly skype session with his dad.

“How’s that going?” Kara asked as she watched the boy’s retreating figure.

Nathan had moved back east a week into the new year. It was a temporary move, he was scheduled to be back out west by March, and he actually seemed to be putting an effort into keeping up with his son despite the distance.

“Good, I think it’s probably the most Nathan’s talked to him since Carter was too young to speak back.”

“That’s good.” Kara agreed, rinsing her own plate off before setting it in the dishwasher, something Cat had told her multiple times wasn’t necessary since their maid would come in the morning and do it.

“Mmhmm.” Cat just hummed. She would go on and on about her son but she still kept the topic of her ex-husband close to the vest, something Kara didn’t push her on.

Instead she picked up the documents she’d brought with her and moved them to the now cleared table, laying them out in just the way Cat liked before settling in with the other woman to make sense of it all.

///

“And I want to have a meeting with the Shelly in the morning, they’ve been picking up more stories in the warehouse district lately, I want to add another team in and upgrade their police scanners to see what’s suddenly made that area so popular.”

Kara jotted it down among her now full list of requests for the next day. “Anything else?” She asked.

Cat stretched her arms high above her head and rolled the kinks out of her neck, leaving Kara’s throat dry for a reason she wasn’t ready to explore yet.

“No, that’s it, we’re done.” She replied, moving to stand. “Wine? Coffee?” She offered.

“Coffee.” Kara replied, she’d never really developed a palate for the kind of wine Alex and Cat drank, as far as she was concerned, all alcohol should be sickly sweet if she was going to put up with drinking it without the side-effects others enjoyed.

This was the weirdest adjustment, watching as Cat made and brought her coffee, something that was literally in her job description to do for the other woman, but Cat had never commented on it.

“Speaking of coffee,” Kara said, tone contemplative, “the weirdest thing happened when I stopped by Noonan’s this afternoon.”

“Mmm?”

“That guy I was telling you about this morning was there, but he refused to even make eye contact with me.” Kara told her, running her index finger along the rim of the coffee mug Cat had just sat in front of her.

“Good, perhaps you’ll be on time tomorrow then.” Cat replied nonchalantly, taking her seat again.

“But it’s weird isn’t it? What happened between this morning and this afternoon to cause such a change?” She seemed to be asking herself more than Cat, taking a long sip of her coffee in contemplation.

Half of Cat wanted to tell Kara the truth, to see that spark that always twinkled in her eye when Cat did something nice for her, the other half wanted to change the subject, not wanting the other woman to know just how much she cared and the lengths she was willing to go to, to make sure she was happy, even if they were getting closer, she still had her limits. All of her wanted to keep Kara from learning of her teaming up with the older Danvers and her growing respect for the other woman, because she knew that the moment Kara found out she didn’t completely loath her little Scooby-squad, she’d be pulled in and forced to be one of them, and quite frankly she’d rather chew her own foot off.

“Sometimes,” Cat began, “it’s better to just accept these little gifts without question.”

Kara tilted her head and furrowed her eyebrows. “This coming from you, the woman who wants to know everything?”

Cat decided to use this to her advantage, “What I really want to know is why you didn’t tell me about this little problem sooner. Pretty Lane knew, which means Thing One and Two knew as well, but you purposefully left me out of the loop.”

Kara had the wherewithal to at least look a little sorry about it. “I didn’t want you to be disappointed in me.” She admitted.

“Disappointed?” It was the last thing Cat had expected.

“I know you think it’s ridiculous that some men pay so much attention to me, you know, Winn, and James for a while, and now this guy. And I just- I don’t mean for it,” She promised seriously, “I don’t know what it is, I’m not doing anything, and if I could stop it, I would. You’re already disappointed in me because of Winn, I didn’t want to make it worse with this new guy.” She was now staring into her half-empty coffee mug instead of at Cat.

Cat couldn’t help the guilt that pooled in her gut, it was true that she gave Kara a lot of flak because of the dwarf, but it was never about her and she thought the younger woman knew that.

“Kara,” She spoke softly, imploring her to look up, when she did, she continued, “I’ve never been disappointed in you because of them, and I’ve never thought it ridiculous that they pay attention to you. You are worth paying attention to.” She said sincerely. “I’m disappointed in them for pushing so much when you are clearly disinterested. I’m annoyed on your behalf, and I’m sorry if I made it seem like I was annoyed with _you._ ”

Kara’s eyebrows shot up, she wasn’t sure Cat had ever apologized before. She tried to school her features quickly, even though she was sure Cat had caught the look of surprise.

“For what it’s worth,” Kara said, “I’m pretty annoyed with it all too. Winn has been…weird lately, but he’s still my best friend, and I don’t want to lose that; but Lucy says he wants to spend Valentine’s day with me, and he knows I don’t have other plans so I can’t just say no, I don’t even like Valentine’s day!” She ranted, neither woman hearing the small footsteps coming from the hallway behind them.

“You don’t like Valentine’s day?” Carter asked, a look of shock on his face as he came into the room, walking over to where Cat sat and leaning into her side as she wrapped an arm around his waist.

“Not really.” Kara replied truthfully. “Although, I do like the day after when all the candy is super cheap.”

“But why don’t you like Valentine’s day itself?” He persisted.

“Well, usually I don’t have anybody to spend it with, at least not anybody that I want to spend it with.”

“You should spend it with us!” Carter exclaimed, standing up straighter with is new idea. “Usually, I’m Mom’s valentine, but I can be yours too, and then you can come here and we can all be each other’s valentines.”

“Oh, Carter, that’s really sweet but I wouldn’t want to impose on your time with your mom.” She tries to let him down gently.

“It wouldn’t be an imposition.” Surprisingly, it’s Cat who speaks up.

“Yeah!” Carter continued. “We have dinner and watch movies and Mom makes these really great chocolate-lava cakes. Please Kara?” He all but whined, and Kara felt her resolve slipping.

She looked to Cat just to be sure, when the other woman gave her a small nod she finally accepted.

“It’s going to be so awesome, and this year it’s a Saturday so we can stay up late and-”

“Unfortunately, tonight is still Thursday, and you have school in the morning, so we need to be getting you to bed.” Cat interrupted him after glancing up at the clock.

He sighed but didn’t argue. “’Night Kara.” He told her, wrapping his arms around her in a quick hug before pulling back and looking at his mother.

“Go, I’ll be down in a minute.” She promised, and he took off again in the direction of his room.

“I’m sorry,” Kara apologized, “I can tell him something came up so you guys can have the day together.” She offered, when she heard the Carter’s door click shut.

“Nonsense,” Cat waved her off, “Carter’s right, it’ll be nice, and now you can tell the hobbit you have plans.”

Kara smiled, “Thank you.”

Cat just waved her off again.

“So, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” Kara said, gathering up the paperwork she’d come in with.

“Don’t be late this time.” Cat told her with a stern look.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Kara replied. “Goodnight Miss Grant.”

“Goodnight Kara.” Cat replied, holding the door open for her and watching as she disappeared into the elevator.

As she made her way back to her own apartment, Cat’s words echoed through her head _“You’re worth paying attention to.”_ She didn’t think she could stop smiling if she tried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whadya guys think?

**Author's Note:**

> Eh? I don't know about you guys, but accidental dating is one of my favorite tropes. The next chapters should be getting longer as we go on.


End file.
